Secrets will out
by verdragon
Summary: It's my take on Severitus' challenge... though I don't see Snape being all that fluffy. Rating is for language. Yeah, Harry's a potty mouth. Probably slash at some point.
1. Letters

_I am really sorry if you were waiting for an update on one of my other stories, but my husband was playing AC all Sunday evening and that's my prime writing time, especially now that I've got a job. But I'm working on the next chapters for both Choices and the other one... so they should be up soon._

* * *

Harry Potter sat alone in his cousin's second bedroom, wondering what he had done to deserve his life. _'If this is payback for what I did in a past life,'_ he thought bitterly, _'I sincerely hope that I had fun.'_ A strained laugh escaped him, causing the thin boy to hold his side as searing pain shot through his broken ribs. _'Fucking fat bastard of a muggle, beating me for his own idiocy. Hope he never finds another job.'_

Vernon Dursley had lost his job the day before Harry had come to Privet drive for the summer. In some twisted logic, this meant that it was Harry's fault that Grunnings had needed to downsize. The warning delivered by the Order members at the train station hadn't really helped matters. Apparently, it had never occurred to the wizards that an undersized teenager could be forced to write anything if there were enough threats and pain applied.

Unfortunately, Vernon had the perfect blackmail tool to keep Harry writing innocuous lies: Hedwig. Harry loved his owl a great deal, and with Vernon combining threats to her with his increasingly vicious beating of Harry, the teen saw no option but to pen the dictated letters, no matter what level of horseshit they contained.

Frankly, the density of the adult wizards who were supposed to protect him pissed Harry off. Every letter that he sent to them was almost a carbon copy of the one before it, with little change and absolutely no mention of anything that was written to him by the order. Perhaps they thought he was being security conscious by not giving any personal information inside his letters, but really, they should realize that something was seriously wrong.

He hadn't stepped out of the house since he'd entered it on June 27th; being that it was now July 30th, you'd think that someone would have considered that strange. Harry idly wondered when they'd come for him this year, or even if they'd come. Surely they realized that the Dursleys' hadn't taken him to King's Cross since his first year, and weren't likely to strain themselves to do it this year. Of course, if they really believed that 'my relatives are treating me quite well' garbage, maybe they thought that his relatives would be delighted to take him to the train station.

Harry snorted softly. _'Yeah, that'll happen. Right after Dudley makes it down to normal size.'_

He realized that the summer had changed him. No longer could he trust in the adults in his life, not that he'd ever trusted them in the blind fashion that his friends Ron and Hermione did, but after this summer, he'd realized that the only person he could count on was himself. His friends were nice kids, but they were kids, they trusted. He had figured out that when you trust someone, you are trusting everyone that the person in question trusts. Given that premise, Harry could find no possible way to trust anyone.

Hermione and Ron were out because each trusted adults. For Ron, it was his parents; with Hermione, it was anyone in a position of authority. She trusted them until it was proven that she couldn't, Harry preferred not to trust until it was proven that he could. If he couldn't trust his two closest friends, then there was no way he could trust any of his schoolmates.

As for adults, every one he knew had either proven themselves untrustworthy or trusted someone who he could not.

So Harry found himself alone. When he went back to Hogwarts, _if_ he could get back, he'd still be alone. This revelation had left him hurting almost as much as his grief over Sirius's death, but he'd slowly come to terms with both over the last month.

While his grief for his godfather was still a raw wound inside of his heart, Harry had come to terms with his guilt. Mistakes couldn't be taken back, and Harry accepted his culpability, but he realized that he wasn't the only one to blame. Sirius shared a portion of the fault, as did Dumbledore, Snape, and Lestrange. Above all, Voldemort was at fault for the death of Sirius, and Harry laid most of the blame at his door.

Thinking of the snake-faced bastard made his scar twinge in pain. Harry closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to disconnect, accepting his emotions before dismissing them from his mind. Slowly, the pain faded from his scar, leaving him free once again from Voldemort's poisonous influence.

The exercise of Occlumency was almost enough to enrage him again, but Harry had dealt with the anger and betrayal he'd felt when he'd managed to figure out how to clear his mind on his own. It was so bloody simple that he'd spent two whole days raging at Snape for not being able to teach him it. Or not even really trying.

Once Harry had realized that he'd been blocking Snape unconsciously from the memories that he hadn't wanted the professor to see, and figured out that he couldn't stifle or get rid of his emotions, Occlumency had become ridiculously easy.

It was nothing more than accepting his emotions as valid, thus allowing them to pass, and organizing his memories into ones he needed to protect and ones that he didn't care if someone saw. He'd found a muggle book in the attic while cleaning that had helped him greatly. The cover and many of the pages had been destroyed due to mildew, but the portion that was still legible had mentioned a way to organize your mind. The book had called it a memory palace, and had described how every object in the palace led to specific memories and connections.

Harry had made himself a memory _castle_, one very like Hogwarts. The memories the needed protecting were inside the castle in various secure locations, while other memories, like boring History of Magic lectures, were placed on the grounds as distractions for anyone who breached the wards. Between the wards, the distraction of the grounds, and the defenses of the castle, it would be a long time before someone attacking his mind got anywhere near memories Harry didn't want them to see. The delay would give him time to wrench his mind away, or to cast a defensive spell.

Even if the attacker got inside the castle, they still had to find the memories they were looking for. The prophecy was hidden inside a secret passage deep in the dungeons, making it very nearly impossible to find. Harry had no doubts that Voldemort could _eventually_ dig it out of his head, but it would take quite some time, and old snake-face would be vulnerable during the search. Hopefully, his mental defenses would give the Order time to rescue him, but if they couldn't or wouldn't, there were some very nasty traps inside his mind, just waiting for the unwary idiot who tried to enter Harry's mind.

The teen sighed as he glanced at the clock. 11:57. Wonderful. In three minutes he'd be sixteen, but what would that change? At least he'd be one year closer to being an adult, allowed to use magic outside of school. If Dumbledore thought that he'd stay in this house one minute after his seventeenth birthday, then the old man was crazier than he pretended to be.

At the stroke of midnight, a flash of fire appeared in the center of the room. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, had just teleported into the room. Harry stared for a moment, flabbergasted, before removing the letters tied to the bird's legs.

"'Lo Fawkes," he said, stroking the brilliant plumage. "Is this from Dumbledore?"

The bird made a sound that was a definite negative and slowly shook his head.

"No? Weird," Harry said, unfolding the first letter. He nearly dropped it when he realized it was from Sirius.

_Dear Harry,_

_One of the perks of knowing a phoenix is the ability to have a letter or package delivered when certain conditions are met. This letter will only be delivered to you on you sixteenth birthday if I've died. Not being a seer, I have no idea how I've come to leave you like this, but I hope it wasn't a Dementor's kiss._

_First, I have to apologize to you, kiddo. I'm sorry that I left you. I'm sorry that I went after the traitor instead of taking care of you. If I had been thinking, you would have never been left with those horrid muggles, and if you had, at least I could have visited often and put the fear of wizards into them._

_Next, I need to tell you that I've made you my magical heir. In the wizarding world, it's possible to 'pass on' bloodlines and power without a genetic connection. As I have no children of my body, I choose to give the child of my heart everything. That's you, in case you didn't know._

_This makes you Harry Potter-Black, and entitles you to everything I have. Now that I'm dead, you are the head of the Black family, meaning you own Grimmauld Place. So spend some money, kid, get a bunch of clothes, pranks, and candy. Buy whatever you want… I can't make up for what we've missed, but I can make sure you never have to worry about money in your life._

_Finally, I have to give you three things. The first is the Black family pendant. It's the sign of the heir. You'll get the signet ring when my will is read. The other two are letters from your parents. I know what's in them, but you'd better read it from James and Lily._

_I love you kiddo, always,_

_Snuffles._

Harry wiped a stray tear from his eye as he read what Sirius had written to him. Refolding the letter almost reverently, he picked up the silver chain that had spilled from the letter. Dangling from the chain was a small pendant, about the size of his thumbnail, with a drawing of the Milky Way engraved into it. He put the chain around his neck, feeling a tingle go through his body.

'_Must be some kind of magic in the pendant,'_ he thought, as he picked up the next letter. Opening it, he saw it was from his mother. He had to take a few deep breaths before he was calm enough to read the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_I truly hope that you never receive this letter, but things are way too dangerous right now for me to forgo writing it until a later date. Voldemort is looking for us, and even under the fidelus charm, we are not safe. I'm entrusting this letter to Sirius, who is going to leave it with Fawkes, guaranteeing that you will get it on your sixteenth birthday._

_I have to tell you something that will change your life. Not the prophecy, but something else. However, if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention the prophecy, go see Albus Dumbledore and don't leave until he gives you an answer. Hex him if you must._

_What I need to tell you is more personal. Before I married James, I also dated another man. He was a spy, and we eventually broke up due to the strain of hiding our relationship. He never was the easiest man to get along with, and he surely did not need the extra stress of dating a muggle-born witch._

_Just after James and I married, I discovered I was pregnant. At first I was sure it was James's, due to the fact that we'd been exclusive for several months by then. But I was a bit further along than that. I hadn't noticed with all of the changes going on in my life right then._

_James accepted you, even though you weren't his son. He made you his heir, even though there's every chance we could have a child together at some point. Never doubt that he loves you like his own._

_So now I guess you're wondering why you look just like James and why I'm telling you now. You look like James due to a charm that I wove into the spell that made you James's heir. It will only last until you are sixteen, because that is the age when you come into your inheritance. Once you go to sleep tonight, you will become the heir of you biological father as well as James._

_I suppose you want to know who your father is. His name is Severus Snape, and he is a potion's master and a spy in the death eaters. What else can I tell you about him, other than that? He hates James with a passion, and I have no doubt that if you know him, he hates you. _

_I'd like to say that I'm sure you'll get on just fine once he gets used to being a father, but I can't. He is a difficult man to know, and he will likely resent that he did not get to raise his heir. Add that to the fact that he's from a very, very tradition bound family, and I'd guess that cool civility is the best that you can hope for._

_Always remember that I love you, and so does James._

_Your mother,_

_Lily._

Harry sat blinking at the letter in his hand. He was extremely upset with the contents of the letter, and couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around the idea that Snape and his mother had been together, let alone that they had created him.

'_Bloody hell,'_ he thought, _'that's just disgusting. Snape is my father. I think I'm going to be sick. Oh, dear Merlin, what's the greasy bastard going to do about it?'_

The teen fought to keep his breathing steady, trying not to hyperventilate. He dropped the letter and retreated into his mind castle, to give himself time to accept the myriad emotions he was feeling and to hide the information deep in the castle, so that Voldemort would have no chance of finding it if he got in while Harry was sleeping.

'I may not trust Snape, and I surely don't like him, but I'm not going to let him get killed by the snake-faced bastard for having unwittingly fathered me.'

Twenty minutes later, Harry opened his eyes, having dealt with his immediate reaction to his mother's letter. He knew that it would be part of his nightly Occlumency meditations for a long time to come, but for the moment, he could set it aside and read what James had to say. Opening his last letter, he set aside the small golden object that tumbled out, and began to read the words of the man he'd thought was his father.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know your mother wrote you a letter to be delivered on this date. If you haven't read it, read it now, before going further in this letter. All done? Good._

_So now you know that I did not father you. That doesn't matter one bit, I'm still your dad. I got to see you come into the world, I get to hold you, and I get to love you. Poor Snape does not._

_Not that I can dredge up much sympathy for him. If he had gotten to have you and your mother, I would not have, and that would have sucked. You probably know, if Sirius raised you, that your father and I hated each other as kids. Hell, he hates me now. I certainly have earned it, though. I was a little bastard for the first five years I was at Hogwarts, and by the time I'd sorted out my juvenile prejudices, I'd made a life-long enemy in the person of Severus Snape._

_Even worse was when I married the woman he loved. I know very well that he loved Lily, and I frankly did not care. When their relationship died from the strain, I was right there, courting your mother. Maybe I took advantage, but I love her, and she loves me. Who knows what would have happened if Voldemort wasn't a factor, but he was, and I married Lily._

_Don't let your father bully you too much. Remember that you are my son too, and more than likely Padfoot's. You don't need him, the Potter fortune alone is enough to see you through your life, and he can't take away your bloodline. While you do not need him, he needs you. I don't foresee him ever having another child, and making a magical heir only works if you have no children at the time the spell is cast. You're it for him, his only chance to pass on his name and powers._

_You may be wondering why I made you my heir, especially since I'm certainly young enough to father another child, and Lily is young enough to have plenty more kids. Well, there are many reasons, but mainly I wanted you to know that I wanted you. I never want you to think that I only put up with you because I wanted your mother. I love you; you are my son, so I made you my son. That simple._

_The little lion enclosed in this letter is the symbol of the Potter heir. It's an earring, just put it up to the lobe of your left ear, and it will attach itself. The Potter family seal will be yours upon your seventeenth birthday or my death, whichever is later._

_I love you son, and be sure to visit your vault now that you're sixteen… there's a few presents there from the Marauders._

_Love, your dad,_

James.

Harry folded up the letter and followed the instructions for the earring, wincing as it pierced his ear. He tucked the letters in his hiding place under the floorboards and laid down to clear his mind before trying to sleep.

* * *

_Yikes, it's kinda scary how long my chapters can get when I have no internet to distract me while I'm writing. _

_Anyway, thanks for reading, and a double thank you if you reveiw!_


	2. Snape gets a shock

_Well, sorry that I updated this before Choices, but this one was easy, and Choices chapter six is currently on it's fourth rewrite... _

* * *

Severus Snape was, predictably, brewing a potion when the headmaster's phoenix burst into the room in a whirl of flames, carrying two letters.

'Who the hell sent these?' He thought, annoyed as he missed a stroke stirring, ruining the delicate brew he'd been laboring over. With the potion a loss, he removed the letters from Fawkes and decided to read the letters immediately. One was marked to be read first, so he opened the letter, catching a whiff of a hauntingly familiar fragrance.

_Dear Severus,_

_I realize that this letter very likely comes as a shock, considering I'm dead, and likely have been for some time. I wanted this letter delivered the day before Harry's sixteenth birthday if I was gone. Well, you'll have to put aside the shock of getting a letter from a dead woman, because I have an even bigger shock for you._

_You are a father, Severus._

_Now that you're sure I'm insane, let me explain. I'm sure you know of the charm that allows a woman to slow the progress of a pregnancy, so I don't have to explain why Harry was born slightly more than a year after I left you. I hid his parentage with a blood charm, and I'm not ashamed of the dark magic I used to keep Harry alive. You see, I knew he was special . . . even before the prophecy. I See now and then, and the vision I had after I found out I was pregnant led me to my choices._

_Harry has your bloodline, of course, but what no one ever knew was that I'm not muggleborn. I am the last descendant of a very powerful bloodline, hidden away with muggles. So Harry has some of the purest blood in the wizarding world. _

_Don't hate our son for what I've done, it was as necessary as what you've done, Mr. Spy._

_I'm sorry that it hurt you, but if Voldemort had gotten to kill Harry, well, let's just say it wouldn't be good. Hopefully you'll forgive me someday, but I don't expect it. I do, however, expect you to make peace with your son. If events have come to pass the way I fear, he'll need you quite badly._

_I Saw him growing up in the Muggle world, with my sister and her family. Go and get him, Severus . . . and hurry. If not out of concern for him, then because he'll need to learn how to be the heir of a Family like yours, and incidentally, mine._

_Love always, _

_Lily._

Severus dropped the letter so fast one would think it was spitting bubotuber pus at him. He shook his head. 'I was never with Lily,' he thought, still shaking his head as he tried to understand what the woman's purpose had been, writing such a strange letter. Even as he tried again to place the scent that his body seemed to know despite his inability to remember why he liked it, he opened the next letter, and nearly had a coronary.

_Hey Snape,_

_Surprised I'd ever leave a message for you? Yeah, me too._

_This isn't a continuation of our rivalry our some asinine prank. I sent this letter with Lily's so that you'd take hers seriously. If you read hers first, you're probably saying 'what? I hardly knew Lily, so how'd she get the idea we had a kid?' Maybe you thought she was insane. Whatever. It's not like it matter . . . neither is true._

_Lily and I became friends in seventh year, and she was like the sister I'd always wanted. When she asked me to help her hide her relationship with a Slytherin, of course I said yes, even after she told me it was you. I'd had an enormous crush on Lily before we became friends, so it wasn't hard to get everyone to think that we were dating . . . everyone except Sirius and Remus, that is. Peter believed it, but then he always was a bit more gullible than the rest of the Marauders. _

_Anyway, I married Lily when she told me she was pregnant. Of course, she delayed the pregnancy, so you wouldn't suspect after she left you. I went one better . . . I obliviated you. 'Why?' you ask. Frankly, I thought you'd die, or worse, break during the course of your spying. I didn't want Lily and her child killed for being close to you._

_You'll have to get Dumbledore and Remus or Sirius to take off the memory charm if I'm dead. Potters are the heirs of Gryffindor, and Dumbledore is the only one powerful enough to remove my spell. I keyed it to the Marauders' Motto, so you'll need Remus or Sirius for that. I don't say Peter for two reasons; one, he never knew and I don't know if Voldemort is still around and you need to keep this quiet, and two, if I'm dead, he damn well better be, seeing as how he's our secret keeper._

_Harry might know the Motto if I had him long enough, or if Sirius raised him, so if no one else can help you, he can._

_He might be yours, but he's mine too. I adopted him, making him my heir, and the heir of Gryffindor. Even after the appearance charms break, he's still part mine. Sirius more than likely adopted him too, so he's the Black heir too. Poor kid._

_Anyway, I am not going to even try and excuse my actions towards you. I really don't think you'd care to hear it, some things are simply inexcusable, and some wounds can never be healed. Don't take it out on Harry, none of this ridiculous situation is his fault, and despite everything, he is your heir, the only one you'll ever have. I know my pureblood history, and I am aware of your family's problem._

_James Potter._

Severus threw the letter down, glaring at it as if it were James Potter himself.

"You son of a bitch," he hissed. "This had better be some sick joke."

A knock sounded on the door. "Enter," he snapped.

Remus Lupin came in quietly. "Did you get your letters, Severus?"

"This prank is less humorous than any you've ever played, werewolf."

"No prank, Severus," the werewolf replied. "It's all true, but if you don't believe me, have Albus remove the charm, he wouldn't be able to if there isn't one."

"Fine. Let's see what the headmaster has to say to this insanity."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore smiled like he'd received an early Christmas present when he read the letters from James and Lily. 

"Remus, what is the motto?"

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Dumbledore pointed his wand at Snape, chanting the counter spell and the motto. A red light surrounded Severus and when it lifted, the Potion's Master fell to his knees.

* * *

_Yeah, minor cliffy there. Not like you can't guess what's gonna happen... Review and keep me motivated... _


	3. So what's the plan?

_Okay, so sue me. RL has been a real pain right now... and I'm about to explode. Feel free to pester me for updates on my stories, because it reminds me that someone's waiting on me._

_More at the end from me._

* * *

Severus Snape picked himself up off of the floor slowly, face unreadable. He cast a look at Remus before leaving the office, robes billowing, not looking back.

Lupin looked at the headmaster, who shrugged and gestured to the door, as if saying 'follow him'. Remus shot an incredulous look at the old man before hurrying out of the office after the Potion's Master. He broke into a jog to catch up with Snape.

"Severus, will you stop?" he finally shouted. Snape whirled, and Remus stopped in his tracks. _Maybe that was a mistake, _he thought.

Severus grabbed the werewolf by one arm and hauled him into a classroom. "You knew," he hissed. "Potter took the woman I loved, and my child, for Merlin's sake! And you knew."

"I didn't know he took your memories, Severus," Remus replied quietly. "I thought it was more of the same thing, hiding Lily from Voldemort. When they died, and you didn't take Harry, I thought you couldn't face raising him on your own. When I came here to teach, and saw the way you treated him, I thought that you blamed him for Lily's death. So I didn't say anything, because I thought that's how you wanted it."

"You seriously thought I'd let my heir be raised by _muggles?_ Are you out of your puny, Gryffindor mind?"

"Frankly, I didn't think you cared," Remus said, dragging a hand through his shaggy hair. "So now what? Are you going to tell him?"

"As much as it pains me, I have no choice," he snarled. "The boy is my heir, and thanks to some ancient curses, he's the only one I'll ever get. Snapes do not allow their heirs to be ignorant of their duties. Tell the headmaster where I've gone, won't you?"

"Stop, Severus. You have no idea what you're doing. Go back to Albus and make a plan, first. How are you going to keep Voldemort from finding Harry? He needs the protection of the wards at Privet Drive."

"Oh fine, let's have the old man stick his nose in this some more. But no one, werewolf, is going to keep my heir away from me."

* * *

After visiting the headmaster, Snape was prowling around his lab, muttering under his breath about 'meddling old fools'. Lupin watched in silence, unsure as to how to break the Slytherin head of house from his reverie.

Suddenly, Severus whirled on his observer. "Wait just a minute. Dumbledore said the blood protection given by his aunt is why the boy has to stay there."

"That's right, your point?"

"Lily wasn't related to the Evanses. Her sister has no protection to give the boy, they are not family by blood."

Remus shook his head. "Not true, Severus. Petunia took Harry in, cementing the guardianship bond her parents had with Lily. The magic sees that as a blood relationship, at least until Harry gains his inheritance. So you can't remove him until he is of age."

"Wrong, wolf. He'll come into his inheritance tonight. All of the families he's the heir to are old, they follow the old laws. In fact, he's probably already Potter's heir, since that's the one Lily wouldn't have blocked from him. He was eleven years old when he took a man's responsibility. Since then, he's done it every year. No matter what I may think of his choices, he made them, and by the old laws, that makes him a man," the dark man finished with a sigh.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Lupin, don't be any denser than you already are," Snape snapped. "He may be my heir, but he's a man. . . . Grown beyond the need for a parent. I can force him to behave as I see fit until he's legally an adult, but there's no way I can make him do anything after that. Potter and Lily stole the chance for me to raise my heir, and now I can only educate him, and pray he doesn't disgrace my name."

Remus laughed. "There's no way he'll disgrace your name, Severus. There's an awful lot that you don't know about Harry . . . that no one knows. I am only guessing, but I think we're all in for a shock when Harry comes into his own."

"If no one knows, then how do you?"

"Simple, I watch. I know very well that the Gryffindor mask Harry wears isn't his true self, he's far to calculating to let anyone see what he doesn't want them to. I think he made a choice when he came into the wizarding world, the choice to hide himself behind what everyone expected him to be. Not to say he isn't like that at all, but it's not _all_ that he is. He's not like James and Sirius. With those two, what you saw was what you got. With Harry, what you see isn't _nearly_ all you get."

Snape snorted. "Oh, please werewolf, I've taught that menace for five years, I know everything there is to know about him, especially after last year. I've been in his mind, I know how empty it is."

"Yes, you've been in his mind, and you've seen how _empty_ it is. Did you find the evidence of what you know he's pulled? Hmm, I know very well that you haven't, because you'd have tried to have him expelled."

Snape felt his jaw drop. Could the brat really have hidden things from him last year? _All you saw was what you knew you would see. . . . Only a few memories from his childhood hinted at things you didn't know for sure._ "That little sneak"

"No, Severus, that little Slytherin. Harry's so Slytherin that he hid it from _you_, the Head of Slytherin House, for more than five years," the tawny-haired man said with a slight smirk. "Harry keeps his secrets."

Severus found himself intrigued against his will. "Tell me more, Lupin," he said, trying to be civil in the pursuit of more information.

Remus shook his head. "I can't tell you much more than what I've observed. Harry really does keep his secrets well. I know he hates his relatives, but not muggles in general. He really doesn't like most of the Gryffindors, and he lets Malfoy rile him because it's expected. I've seen the look in his eyes when he's trading insults with that boy, there's a split second where he's deciding whether keeping up the mask is worth his time. And that's about all I can say, except for the fact that he plays his intelligence way, way down."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Consider, for a moment, a thirteen-year-old boy learning the patronus charm. He did it, and it didn't even take him a whole year. His is perhaps the most powerful one I've ever seen, and I've seen Dumbledore's." Remus stopped for a moment, absently rubbing his chin. "And really, teaching the DA? I couldn't have turned Neville Longbottom into a competent dueler in six months of steady lessons, but Harry did it, and the lessons had to be irregular to keep Umbridge from finding out."

"There's no way I'm believing that one, werewolf. Longbottom is a menace, and he couldn't duel to save his life."

"Wrong, Severus. He held his own against Death Eaters, which is more than I can say for most of the wizarding world."

"And my son taught him?"

"Oh yes. He taught them all. Albus said that the only sixth years who passed the practical defense OWL with an O were Slytherins or members of Harry's group. Even the Ravenclaws could only get E's."

"And Potter? What did he get?"

"Why do you care what James got? Harry, on the other hand, got a perfect score on both the theory and the practical, with bonus points for the patronus."

"How do you know this? Albus hasn't released the results to the teachers yet," Snape said, curiosity lending civility to him again.

"Well, you see, it's because I'm going to have to have non-NEWT defense for the sixth and seventh years. It's compulsory, with Voldemort's return being acknowledged by the ministry."

Snape nodded, and brought the conversation back to what he was interested in. "We can get the boy tomorrow."

"We'll have to, no matter what Dumbledore says. Once Harry gets the rest of his inheritances, well, we can't leave him there."

"And he needs to learn how to be a pureblood," Snape said.

"Well, yes," Remus said, "but more than that. You do realize that he's unlikely to look anything like he does now? The clone of James will be gone . . . and only Harry will remain."

Snape shook his head. "Wonder what he'll look like? With all of the bloodlines in him, he isn't likely to be recognizable."

"That's the truth," Remus sighed, wondering what Harry would make of all of this.

* * *

_I'm sure that none of you are really interested in my excuses for how long it's taking me to update, so I shan't offer them. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you really made me want to get this up for you._

_Don't worry, Sev isn't going to be all fluffy ever, and he's not going to just love Harry from the start... though civility might be on the way. Review and let me know how much of a bastard Sev should be!_


	4. Harry gets a look

Just a quick note, none of my stories are abandoned, and none are affected by HBP.

* * *

Harry nearly vomited from the pain when he woke up. Everything hurt, his bones felt like they had been rearranged, and his muscles felt like someone had squashed him.

"Oh fuck. Mum didn't say it would hurt," he said, and nearly gasped at the sound of his voice. He didn't sound even a little bit like he had the day before. His new voice was husky, but smooth, like smoky velvet.

Forcing himself to sit up, he took stock of his body from bottom to top. Feet, slim and small, smaller than they had been, and he'd never had big feet. His legs were still extremely thin, but his knobby knees were gone, replaced with well-shaped ones that fit his legs much better.

Harry glanced at his hands, only vaguely aware of how small and thin they were because at that moment his attention was stolen by something brushing his hip. It was his hair, still black, but with a red undertone now rather than a brown one. The length of it was what captured his attention, though. In his seated position, it touched the bed, if he stood it would be down to his backside.

Startled, Harry jumped up, hissing and nearly falling to the floor from the pain in his ribs. _'Right, it certainly didn't fix my ribs,'_ he thought while he gasped for air. When he could breathe again, he made his way slowly to the cracked mirror that was inside the door of his wardrobe.

Only the jaw that dropped on the image in the mirror convinced Harry that the boy in the mirror was him. His appearance had changed so much that he didn't think anyone would be able to recognize him. After examining his looks more closely Harry decided that he really liked the changes, except for one: he'd shrunk, not a lot, but considering how small he had been, this was ridiculous.

Pale skin, graceful limbs (despite their painful thinness), and a face that could only be called beautiful was only the beginning. His hair was no longer wild, but thick, shining, and healthy. Harry smiled, but then frowned.

"Merlin, I'm the size of a first year! And I look like a girl to boot!" Harry had to admit that he was doing himself an injustice with the latter comment, while he was undoubtedly beautiful, it was not a feminine way. Actually, it wasn't a very masculine beauty either, more of an androgynous, feline, predatory look that was as dangerous as it was enthralling.

He looked more closely at his face, trying to decide which of his four parents he got his features from. Hermione had spouted off about magical adoptions once during third year, and Harry could remember that the child who was adopted could take on both the physical and magical characteristics of the adopting parents.

The eyes were still his mum's, though their shape was different now, tilted rather than round. Their color had shifted slightly, too. Before the change, his eyes had been emerald, now they were the lurid green of the killing curse. His eyelashes were long and dark, drawing even more attention to the eyes that were already the focal point of his face.

Dragging his attention away from his eyes, Harry looked intently at the rest of his features. He found plenty of traits from his mother, Snape, and James Potter, but very little from Sirius. _'Wonder why that is? Maybe because Sirius didn't feel the need to stamp me as his,'_ he thought, dredging up more memories from Hermione's lectures. He laughed, then hissed from the pain, as he noticed one area that he could see Sirius's influence.

His hair, although it had red undertones that could only have come from his mother, was in all other respects Sirius's. _'He was probably afraid that I'd get Snape's hair. Oh, Padfoot, I miss you.'_

It suddenly hit him that he wasn't wearing his glasses. _'Thank Merlin,'_ he thought. _'If I had to lose anything, I'm glad it was those glasses. I could just see myself dueling with the dark idiot, and him summoning my glasses right off of my face.'_

Harry looked at himself again, still in shock about his new appearance. The thing that bothered him the most was how _fragile_ he looked. He'd never looked like that before. It was apparent, for the first time in his life, that he was mistreated, and had been for a significant portion of his life. Scars littered his arms and hands, and he knew that if he examined the rest of his body, he'd be covered in the evidence of his relative's abuse.

_'Damn it,'_ he snarled mentally. _'How in the fucking hell am I supposed to hide this now? I live in a dorm with four other boys, sooner or later someone's going to see this.'_ Harry's thoughts stopped dead. Harry Potter lived in a dorm with four other boys … but was he Harry Potter anymore?_ 'Not like it isn't bloody fucking obvious whose child I am,'_ he thought, cringing a bit.

To get his mind off of the disturbing thoughts of being known as Snape's child, he pulled his mother's letter out again and reread it, mind sifting the information a bit more thoroughly than before. _'Sanitized,'_ he thought, _'that's what this is. Mum didn't feel she could tell everything to me, even in a letter I would only get if she was dead. There's more to this story, but I doubt anyone will tell me. Fuck it, I don't need to know, and I don't really care. Snape hates me, and all of my other parents are dead. Joy. Can't imagine that this will get me out of here any quicker. Oh fucking hell, what are the Dursley's going to do?'_

As if his panicked thought had conjured his very fear, Harry suddenly heard the stomping footsteps of Vernon Dursley coming up the stairs. _'Oh Merlin,'_ Harry thought, _'I'm dead.'_

The door crashed open before Harry even registered the locks clicking open. Vernon stood in the doorway, breathing hard, face nearly puce from exertion. He didn't even look at the boy in the room as he began his rant, screaming about how Harry and his freaky friends were keeping him from getting a new job.

Harry backed himself into the corner, knowing this was likely going to hurt quite badly, and with his smaller, more delicate frame, do a lot more damage than usual. He curled into a ball before Vernon got into striking range, but Vernon apparently wanted a bit more than the normal few blows today.

The obese man yanked Harry from his defensive ball by one arm, and Harry shrieked as something popped in his shoulder and cracked where Vernon held him. The cry drew Vernon's attention, and he looked down at the tiny boy.

"What did you do, freak?" he screamed, shaking his nephew by his freshly broken and dislocated arm.

Harry tried to defend himself, but the pain in his arm robbed him of speech. All he could do was scream, and scream he did, hoping to Merlin there was an Order member watching his house who would hear the screaming. He didn't care if they found out Vernon beat him, he didn't care if they found out Snape was his father, all he wanted was the pain to end before Vernon ripped his arm off.

His scream cut off abruptly as Vernon walloped him upside the head with his closed fist. Harry saw stars as his stomach heaved. Burning acid escaped his mouth, and the next thing he felt was his whole body slamming into the wall as Vernon flung him bodily away because he'd vomited.

The battered boy slumped against the wall, praying to any deity he could think of that Vernon would be so disgusted that he'd leave. _'Please, please, please go away,'_ he thought desperately. _'Go away you son of a whore, I can't take anymore, you're going to fucking kill me this time.'_

Bleary eyes watched in resignation as Vernon's foot drew back for a kick. A cry of _"stupefy"_ stopped the kick from landing, and Harry's eyes slid closed as he passed out, thinking _'well, that was too fucking close,'_ as the darkness took him away from the pain.

* * *

That's it for now. Sorry it's been so long... I've been lazy, and things at home haven't been the best. Anys, enjoy, and review! Suggestions are always welcome, even if I choose not to take them.

BTW, choices 6 should be out soon, as well as a lost child 2. I am getting sick of puttering with choices, so I think I'm just gonna post it.


	5. Getting Harry

_I am still alive and still writing. Again, feel free to pester me, you'll get better results that way._

* * *

It was early in the morning when Remus was woken by pounding on his room's portrait. He rolled out of bed, yelling a quick, "keep your pants on!" as he stumbled to the door.

The strained face of Severus Snape met his as he swung open the portrait. "Let's go, wolf," the man nearly snarled.

"It's four in the morning Severus! Harry will still be asleep, you don't seriously want to wake him up, do you? I suspect that he's going to have a hard enough time with this awake, let alone startled from his sleep at what a teenager would consider the middle of the night."

"Imbecilic wolf. Use your head for once in your life. My son lives with Muggles. He has just gone through a very large change, and there will be physical effects. Do you sincerely believe the Muggles will be sanguine about the radical shift in his appearance?" The look the potion's master sent Remus was cold, and layered with disdain.

"Well then, let's go." Remus was suddenly in the lead on the way out of the school. The two men hurried out of the school's wards. They apparated to Surrey nearly at the same instant.

The two wizards hurried through the predawn silence. As they turned onto Privet Drive, their path was blocked by two shadowed figures. Drawing closer, the figures resolved into Arabella Figg and Albus Dumbledore.

"My friends, it is very good of you to want to bring Harry to where he'll be happy, but you must allow him to stay here. The blood protections are very important —"

Dumbledore was cut off by Snape beginning an argument on the blood protections. Remus was stunned that Severus would waste time like that, until he noticed that the potions master was indicating that Remus should continue on while he kept their employer busy.

Remus knew Arabella could still stop him, but she had always been just a bit leery of his lycanthropy, so he felt somewhat secure in his slipping away from the arguing pair and their audience. He made his way quickly to number four and opened the door with a whispered unlocking charm.

Scents assaulted his nose the moment he entered the house, both from the people living there and the Muggle cleaning supplies they used. Shaking off the myriad odors, he hurried up the stairs, taking only the time needed to assure that his assent was silent.

Once he took his attention away from the stairs and the rest of his mind away from Severus and Dumbledore, Remus realized that he could smell blood and vomit, and that he heard screaming. Cursing his inattention under his breath, he ran to Harry's room just in time to see Vernon throw a battered child across the room. The shock of the brutality as well as Harry's appearance froze him for just a moment, but the movement of Vernon to kick the child freed him and he cried the stunner at the obese Muggle.

Remus tore off his cloak and wrapped it around the unconscious boy. As gently as possible, he lifted the tiny child into his arms and laid him on the bed. A quick _'accio'_, followed by the packing spell got him all of Harry's things. He shrank the trunk, pocketed it, then plucked Harry from the bed again. Trying desperately not to hex the still stunned Muggle into next year, he ground his teeth as he carried Harry from the house for the last time.

Severus was still arguing blood wards with his employer when Lupin reappeared carrying a small bundle. The potion's master would have thought that it was a bundle of rags, but he could see long black hair which led him to believe that his son was the undersized burden in the werewolf's arms.

"Don't even tell me that's my heir, Lupin," he said, mostly to cover his dismay, because he already knew that it was true.

"Unfortunately, Severus, I must tell you that it is. I'd say that we should return and hex the muggles into the next life, but Harry needs Madame Pomphrey's skills immediately."

Severus looked at Dumbledore. "Safe, was he?" he snarled, then pulled his emergency portkey from his pocket. He'd had a direct way to the hospital wing ever since he returned to spying on the Dark Lord, and it had saved his life more than once. A quick jerk to their navels and Severus, Lupin, and Harry were in the hospital wing.

* * *

Madame Pomphrey bustled over, quickly taking charge of the situation. She shooed the men from the room while she healed Harry to the limit of magic. Several hours later, she exited the hospital wing and stood before two very worried men.

"Sadly, there was no way for me to heal him completely. He has been mistreated and malnourished for too long. The scars will remain, and he is unlikely to grow any taller. His body doesn't know how to store fat, and isn't very used to having nutrients to work with. He'll be on a special diet for at least a few months, if he doesn't respond to treatment he'll be on it the rest of his life," she told the wizards.

Remus closed his eyes in pain. "You're sure about the height? He's barely the size of a first year!"

"He's lucky to be alive, Remus. The treatment he's received in his life... well let it be said that your transformations are less stressful for a body."

Snape didn't look up, or say a word. His mind was slowly wrapping around the fact that his heir was permanently damaged by muggles. The very idea that this could happen, to any child, let alone the 'savior of the wizarding world', nauseated him. It almost made Voldemort seem like a forward thinker.

The wolf in Remus wanted blood. Muggle blood, to be precise. He could almost feel the bones break under his hands as he imagined dealing the Durselys the treatment they so richly deserved. He took several deep breaths before speaking, fighting the urge to growl and snarl.

"But he will live, right?"

Poppy nodded. "Oh yes, he'll live. He's never going to be strong and tough physically, but he will live, and I expect that he may even be strong enough to play Quidditch, hideous game."

Severus breathed a sigh of relief. His heir would live. The Snape line wouldn't end. Soon, his heir would leave the hospital wing and he could begin his education. At least it wouldn't be hard to hide the fact that he was Harry Potter, after his transformation, the boy looked nothing like Dumbledore's Golden Boy.

Madame Pomphrey allowed the two men in to see Harry, though she warned them that he was asleep and unlikely to wake for several hours, if not days. Snape and Lupin didn't care, they quickly established themselves on either side of Harry's bed, neither looking like they could be budged by anything short of Merlin's return.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore entered the hospital wing silently. There was no twinkle in his blue eyes, and he looked every one of his one hundred fifty years. He could admit it to himself, and would have to admit it to Harry and Severus, he'd made a horrendous mistake leaving Harry with the Muggles.

Severus glanced up as his employer approached his heir's bed. The look on the old wizard's face enraged the Slytherin Head of House further than he'd thought possible.

"Get out," he hissed, unwilling to disturb the gravely injured boy on the bed. The tone certainly conveyed his feelings, sending a visible shiver down the Headmaster's spine.

"Now, Severus, my boy, I firmly believed that Harry would be safer at his aunt's home," the old man began. He hurried on at the black look on his Potions' Master's face. "I was wrong, I do see that now."

Remus chose that moment to break in. "Yeah, you see that now. After Harry is lying in this bed, permanently scarred and stunted from those useless excuses for human beings. You are as responsible for this as they are. Did you never think to check on him? And even if it slipped your mind, how did he ever return to that house? You knew when Hagrid went to fetch him that things were not well in that household, and I flat out told you he'd been abused at the start of his third year."

Snape's head snapped around to the werewolf. "What do you mean, you told him?"

"I mean that I told the Headmaster of this school, as a teacher, that one of his students not only smelled of blood, but that I had seen bruises on the boy that could not be explained. Hand shaped bruises."

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "You did. And I did not follow up on it. I was so secure in the protection of the blood wards, I ignored the fact that there are other threats besides Death Eaters."

"Go away, Albus," Snape snarled. "I cannot deal with you right now."

The headmaster sighed and left the hospital wing. Perhaps Harry would be more forgiving than his father. He winced at the thought, remembering the fit Harry had thrown in his office over Sirius. This was likely to be much worse.

* * *

_There you go, one update... and it only took since July. sigh Oh, well, I'll try to do better. Hey, I need some ideas... What should I name Harry?_


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